Wednesday, October 25, 2017

Two (2) tragedies within a short span of time claiming multiple lives of workers is shocking news! MTUC Penang Division is of the view that both the said incidents i.e. the Tanjung Bungah construction site loss of lives and the road accident deaths along the North South highway this morning must be investigated in a holistic and comprehensive manner. No corners should be left unturned nor no issues swept under the carpet.

The lives lost cannot be brought back but those responsible for their untimely and tragic deaths must be held accountable. On this score we welcome the Penang State government's decision to set-up a Commission of Inquiry. We, however, call upon the state to appoint non-partisan, competent and aptly qualified people as members of the said commission.

Thursday, October 19, 2017

Its president Abdul Halim Mansor says it never agreed that payouts were only for workers who did not receive termination benefits.

The Malaysian Trades Union Congress (MTUC) has denied ever agreeing to the request by employers that only workers who do not receive termination or retrenchment benefits will receive payments from the Employment Insurance System (EIS).

Commenting on the statement by the Malaysian Employers Federation (MEF) that the human resources minister had given a “misleading statement” over the matter, MTUC president Abdul Halim Mansor said the only thing agreed in principle by the employee’s representative in the meeting with Second Finance Minister Johari Abdul Ghani on Aug 10 was the reduction in the contribution rate from 0.5% to 0.2%.

Wednesday, October 4, 2017

About 30 per cent of the 3,209 applications for foreign workers submitted by employers have been rejected this year for failure to comply with the minimum standard guideline for worker’s accommodation,” said Peninsular Malaysia Manpower Department (JTKSM) deputy director (Operations) Wan Zulkifli Wan Setapa.

He said compliance with the guideline was a prerequisite for the intake of foreign workers, which included providing accommodation that is approved by the local authorities and in a safe environment while male and female workers must also be housed in separate dorms.

"The issue of worker’s accommodation should not be taken lightly by employers as we have received complaints from foreign workers, especially those who live in wooden huts at construction sites and filthy environment,” he said in a press conference held in conjunction with an enforcement operation on restaurants in Putrajaya here today.

He said a large number of employers failed to comply with the minimum standard for worker accommodation compared with other offences, resulting in their application rejected.

Wan Zulkifli said employers who failed to comply with conditions set would be blacklisted for future applications.

He said the department had conducted 25,680 enforcement operations to ensure foreign workers enjoy the rights and benefits set by the government.